COLLEGE SIGNING: Hill's Monzo making move to La Salle

The Hill School's Joey Monzo, seated center, signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Division I La Salle Wednesday. Monzo is pictured with his parents James and Karen Monzo and Hill baseball and boys soccer coach Chris Drowne (standing).

To say that Joey Monzo works hard is an understatement. Regardless of the task, be it hitting the batting cage to improve the timing of his swing or studying for an upcoming test, Monzo will work until exhaustion, all while sporting his infectious smile and positive attitude. His hard work on and off the field as well as in the classroom has paid off, as he signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball for Division I La Salle University on Wednesday.

“Not only do good things happen to good people, but in Joey’s case a great and deserved thing has happened to a great and deserving young man,” said Chris Drowne, The Hill School’s head baseball and boys’ soccer coach who has coached Monzo in both sports for the past three years. “Joey has been a hard-working and supportive student and teammate from day one. His ascendency to co-captain this year was no surprise, looking back on his growth in the classroom and on the field over the past three years. His demeanor makes everyone around him happier, more relaxed, and more enthusiastic. La Salle is getting a great young man, strong student, and outstanding ball player in the complementary, ‘old school’ sense.”

Like many baseball players, the Gilbertsville native began his ascension up the game’s ladder by playing tee-ball in the Upper Perkiomen Little League. After a few seasons of regular Little League baseball, he joined the Upper Perk Indians travel team for two seasons at the 10U and 11U levels. Following his second season with the Indians, Monzo made the Triple Threat Bearcats of Bally, and spent five summers with the Bearcats through his 16U season.

Prior to last summer, the Bearcats disbanded and Monzo suddenly needed a new summer team. He joined the Elite Baseball program, which is a showcase tournament team based in Lancaster, coached by Matt Knox, who Monzo said has many connections at the collegiate level. In his first game with Elite Baseball, Monzo turned in a 2-for-4 performance at the plate and played well enough to impress La Salle University head coach Mike Lake. Lake approached Monzo after the game and indicated his interest in recruiting him. Monzo made his first visit to La Salle’s campus in early June and toured the campus with Lake. He received a scholarship offer at the visit’s conclusion, but needed time to consider his other options, as Division I schools Bucknell University, St. Joseph’s University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Military Institute, and a handful of Division III schools had shown interest in him as well. A month later, Monzo gave his verbal commitment to La Salle.

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“While other Division I schools had shown some interest in me, none of them reached out nearly as much as La Salle did,” he said. “I really enjoyed my conversations with Coach Lake and my visit to campus, and felt like the school would be a great fit for me from an academic and baseball perspective.”

La Salle’s location as well as the school’s business program also strongly influenced his decision.

“I want to be a business major, and La Salle has a very good business program,” Monzo said. “I also was really impressed by Coach Lake’s emphasis on putting academics ahead of baseball. A baseball career only lasts so long, but a person’s education impacts the rest of his life.”

Academics are what drew Monzo to The Hill School. During the winter of his eighth grade year, he attended a Hill basketball game to watch a friend play. As this was his first visit to campus, he toured the campus after the game. As a result of the conversation he had with his friend about the school while on tour, Monzo decided to apply. He was accepted in March of 2009 and, after speaking with Drowne, decided to enroll as a third form (freshman) student that fall.

Monzo instantly became a fixture in Hill’s outfield during his first season. He credits much of his growth as a player that year to Alex Hero, a 2010 graduate of The Hill who currently is a member of Amherst College’s baseball team.

“Alex really took me under his wing that first year,” he explained. “He showed me the ropes of the school. I liked his playing style and tried to emulate it both in the outfield (Hero played center field, a position Monzo has occupied since Hero’s graduation) and at the plate.”

He also quickly pointed to Drowne and to his parents, James and Karen, as the adults who have helped him succeed at The Hill.

“I’ve had Mr. Drowne as a coach, teacher, and academic adviser in my time at The Hill,” he said. “He has made me a better student, athlete, and person, and has supported me through times good and bad. My parents have given me every opportunity to succeed and made many sacrifices along the way. I’ve been blessed to have people in my life who care about me so much, and I cannot thank them enough.”

While life as a Division I student-athlete can be overwhelming, Monzo feels that the time management skills he has learned throughout his three-plus years at The Hill as well as the school’s high expectations of its students have prepared him well for college life.

“It didn’t take me very long to figure out how hard I was going to have to work to succeed at The Hill,” he said. “It isn’t easy to be a two-sport athlete and manage a demanding course load. I struggled at first, but once I learned how to effectively manage my time, I really enjoyed being a Hill student. I will take the lessons learned here with me to La Salle.”